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Posted via email from 30days
Natural beauty of surf
This is your Brain on Joy [Book Review]
· I am interested in the debate about a Christian’s use of spiritual and/or medical methods;
· I see so much potential lost in people who can’t seem to control their moods, overcome past hurts and struggle with depression.
The challenge that the book puts out is that some neurological conditions are not always the result of bad choices (or sin in the Christian content). Dr Henslin explores issues such as chemical imbalance, injury and other traumas in an effort to help people become more researched before settling on their best treatment solution.
I did find many parts of this book fascinating and would recommend it to people looking to further explore the neurological world, gai understanding for people affect by neurological conditions, find out where certain conditions originate (e.g. ADD), find out what are some treatment options for conditions that originate in the brain and also looking for some Biblical context/prayers as a way to connect their chosen treatment and their faith. Prepare to be enlightened and challenged!
15 Daily Habits from Business Books
1. Be sure to get eight hours sleep every night.
2. Eat five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit.
3. Drink three litres of water every day.
4. Dress for success! Make yourself presentable before starting work.
5. Make your own lunch every day rather than buying it.
6. Take a nap in the afternoon to re-energise.
7. Do at least half an hour of exercise every day.
8. Don’t skip lunch – get out of the office to eat your sandwich.
9. Have dinner as a family – it’s important bonding time.
10. Spend 20 minutes planning tomorrow with a detailed to-do list..
11. Do one thing every day that scares you.
12. Make some quality time for your partner.
13. Make sure you get some ‘me’ time.
14. Read industry magazines to stay on top of trends.
15. Slow down – take time out to smell the roses.
Posted via email from 30days
Sometimes things are too precious....
….and you know they are. Maybe it’s a gift that you have and you only want it for you. Maybe it’s the way you’ve always done something. Maybe it’s following the guidance of your peers when you know there’s a better way. I’ve had my share of Jonahs. The Godly things that aren’t in the right place. The promise that you’re hoping for, the baby that is never conceived, the promotion or business that never arrives. Sometimes you just have to throw it overboard. See if it can swim or if it’ll sink. Or maybe the mysterious third option. Don’t let the dream weigh down your boat but realise that sometimes, throwing in the towel means that others pick up the fight.
“Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors [who didn’t believe in God – my little add in] were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.” – Jonah 1
Posted via email from 30days
Would you eat Christmas?
A strange question but I have a point.
In Australia, we don’t eat koalas. Mainly due to their number, possibly due to their taste and majorly due to them being a national icon and their cuteness. We don’t tend to eat the cuter animals. No canned dolphin or cat and pony dishes (at least not in Australia).
This brings me to Christmas.
We have a celebration that has grown to embrace consumerism, greed, selfishness and empty tradition. I have heard from churches that say that Christmas is the time when the least number of people get saved in the year. People don’t have a call to loving action but, instead have a call to embrace warm sentiment, nice dinners and “deserved” presents. Now back to my question – Christmas is the cute animal that no-one would eat. Only a few people are willing to mess with tradition, form an Advent Conspiracy, and possible reclaim true celebration.
Why not bring Christmas out into the light? Have a gift giving day three days after Christmas, use your savings from buying after Christmas to lend to the poor (and get your money back 12-18 months later), put a big wooden table at a park three days before Christmas and do your Christmas lunch there and then for anyone to enjoy, celebrate your Christmas next year with a party day for friends showing pictures from your lunch, pictures of the people you lent money to and vision sheets for the New Year.
After all: did God come in human form to upset some traditions (picture Pharisees), stretch human minds (God in flesh), give randomly (picture feeding thousands) and give us a vision of hope?
CD Set Review
The set also comes with a "Behind-the-scenes" DVD and a 40 day listening plan.
*Sean Astin - The Narrator (The Lord of the Rings, Rudy)
Grater
I've kept a grater for the last 5 years even though the handle has fallen off, other parts are dropping off and it's hard/semi-painful to use. I keep the little pile of metal as a little symbol of the imperfection that we live with each day. Not everything is shiny. Not everything needs to be super-customised, single-tasked and optimised. Some parts of life never get fixed and never seem to get better. Sometimes the more we hold onto the broken, the more we appreciate the new. Maybe the new model doesn't have the memories or the mileage. Maybe it doesn't remind us that we're living in a falling apart world. Maybe taking on the new won't fill the void anyway.
Book Review - The Truth About You
I had, at first, thought that the premise of the book may have been too generalised - Work on the parts of your life that give you strength and move away from the areas that weaken you. The saving concept of this book is the personalisation of the material through having interactive mediums. The included ReMemo pad, sections for personal evaluation/thought and DVD assist in enhancing the experience and bring further depth to the material. To those people that have the main concept of building on their strengths in place, they may find the material encouraging but over-priced. For those people that need this important concept driven home, the price of this book / pack will be justified. I would recommend this book for those looking to take in what this popular speaker has to say.
How I Approach God When Feeling Rotten
(Author: John Piper)
A vague bad feeling that you are a crummy person is not the same as conviction for sin. Feeling rotten is not the same as repentance.
This morning I began to pray, and felt unworthy to be talking to the Creator of the universe. It was a vague sense of unworthiness. So I told him so. Now what?
Nothing changed until I began to get specific about my sins. Crummy feelings can be useful if they lead to conviction for sins. Vague feelings of being a bad person are not very helpful. The fog of unworthiness needs to take shape into clear dark pillars of disobedience. Then you can point to them and repent and ask for forgiveness and take aim to blow them up.
So I began to call to mind the commands I frequently break. These are the ones that came to mind.
Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Not 95%, 100%. (Matthew 22:37)
Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Be as eager for things to go well for him as you are for things to go well for you. (Matthew 22:39)
Do all things without grumbling. No grumbling—inside or outside. (Philippians 2:14)
Cast all your anxieties on him—so you are not being weighed down by it anymore. (1 Peter 5:7)
Only say things that give grace to others—especially those closest to you. (Ephesians 4:29)
Redeem the time. Don't fritter or dawdle. (Ephesians 5:16)
Set your mind on things that are above. Connect all your thoughts to Christ. (Colossians 3:2)
Do not return evil for evil—like when your wife or daughter says something you don't like. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
Rejoice always, and again I say rejoice. Always. If sorrowful, keep rejoicing. (Philippians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 6:10)
Give thanks in all circumstances. All. All. All. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
So much for any pretensions to great holiness! I'm undone.
But now it is specific. I look it in the eye. I'm not whining about feeling crummy. I'm apologizing to Christ for not keeping all that he commanded. I'm broken and I'm angry at my sin. I want to kill it, not me. I'm not suicidal. I'm a sin hater and a sin murderer ("Put to death what is earthly in you" Colossians 3:5. "Put to death the deeds of the body" Romans 3:18.)
In this conflict, I hear the promise, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1John 1:9). Peace rises. Prayer feels possible and right and powerful again.
